A ‘Trapped Nerve’ or Pinched Nerve is a common and unpleasant condition in which a nerve may be irritated by either mechanical or chemical effects of inflamed tissues. Symptoms that may suggest that you have trapped nerve include:

• Neck pain and stiffness with a combination of radiating pain, tingling, numbness and weakness down the arm, forearm and fingers
• Low back pain and stiffness, also, with a combination of radiating pain, tingling, numbness and weakness down the buttock, thigh, legs and feet. 

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A typical case history of a patient presenting with a trapped nerve may sound like this:

‘I woke up one morning with an incredibly stiff neck. I could hardly turn my head. It took me a lot longer to get changed for work – brushing my teeth, putting my jacket on and reaching for things were particularly painful. I took some Nurofen which seemed to free my neck a bit but later in the day I started to get a pain down my arm and a couple of my fingers went numb. Although the stiffness has improved, I am still getting these symptoms down my arm 3 days later.’

Sciatica is another example of a trapped nerve. Sciatica can be caused by a number of different injuries such as a slipped disc, arthritis, a sacro-iliac injury or a muscle tear in the low back.

Because there are many injuries that can cause a ‘trapped nerve’ it it worthwhile visiting an Osteopath to determine the root cause of the symptoms. If the Osteopath is unsure, you may be referred to have an x-ray, MRI scan or ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis.

Once a diagnosis is made, a treatment plan can be created that may reduce the pain and discomfort and secondly help to prevent recurrence of the injury.